Enewsletter

Enewsletter • May
29, 2013

Notes
from Vegan Outreach

Team Vegan’s John Oberg reports from CSN Cheyenne: “Had a great conversation with Amanda. She told me the booklet made her really sad, and is now on her way towards going vegetarian despite the fact that she hates vegetables.”

Go,
Vegan, Go!

Team
Vegan members have now raised over
half of the $100,000 matching challenge!
Thanks to everyone for your efforts to help
the animals!

This
week, we’d like to highlight some of the
outstanding leafleters on the Team:

Product
of the Week

Team
Vegan member Anne
Green: “My lips were so dry
they were flaky. Fortunately, sample lip balms
(lavender, clove, orange, lemon, and unflavored)
from Anna’s
Potions and Lotions arrived for Vegan Outreach
to review. Within 2 days – I kid you not – no
more flakes. I like the clove and the unflavored
best; Matt
likes the lavender and the lemon. Okay, I’ll
take the orange. A little goes a long way. And
if it can protect two lips in Tucson, it can
protect yours, too.”

Notes
from Our Members

Above: Amber Smith reaches another student at Marquette University. Below: UWM students read an Even If You Like Meat together.

Click
on any Team Vegan member to donate and have
your dollars doubled!

Despite
a slow start, I set a personal
best at UNC Chapel Hill, reaching over 2,300
students. I happened to overhear one student
say they are going veg as a result of the booklet.
The highlight was a conversation with a student
about free-range, etc.; after she said she was
going full vegan.
This leafleting outing was done in memory of
my beloved kitty, Toonces, who recently passed
away at 21 years old. She was such a fixture
in our lives and will be missed terribly.—Team Vegan member Dawn
Ratcliffe, 2/28/13

At
Quinnipiac University, the head
of security took an Even If You Like Meat;
and another security guard said that he agreed
with what I was doing. His ex-wife is vegetarian,
and he knew a bit about the horrendous conditions
on factory farms, and he is against them. I
asked him if he would like a Guide
with health info, and he took it. He said he
would try to cut back even more on his consumption
of animal products.
At Yale, I handed
a booklet to a doctor of internal medicine who
read it and came back to talk. “What can
I do?” he asked. We discussed the cruelty
of animal agriculture, and discussed reducing
consumption of animals. He was very happy to
accept a Guide when I told him that
it had a lot of health info in it. He said it
was good, and he was going to research / learn
more, and start toward becoming vegetarian!—Team Vegan member Karen
James, 3/6/13

Heard
lots of great feedback at the University
of Wisconsin, Whitewater – both on the idea
of helping animals and general support for the
work that VO does; e.g., “Thank YOU for
helping animals!” “Keep up the great
work!” One student was very moved when
she got a booklet a few semesters ago; I made
sure to whip out a Guide for her. At
the end of the day, a student walked out of
the University Center holding a booklet and
as he passed me he said, “I’m reading it!
It’s really sad stuff.” I handed him a
Guide and told him, “It is, but
luckily there’s something you can do about it.”
Beautiful day
at Marquette with Amber [Smith, above], who met Joe Espinosa
and then got involved. Really receptive students
and good interactions. Two students even brought
me a coffee with soymilk, with “Thanks
for all your hard work!” written on the
side of the cup.
Amber was back
again today at the University of Wisconsin,
Milwaukee, along with her mom! We reached nearly
2,500 students, and had many meaningful interactions.
For example, a biology professor told me he
had a slightly heated discussion with a student
in his class who had received a booklet and
dismissed it based on religious grounds. He
expressed his displeasure at her dismissal of
the issue based on ancient principles out of
touch with the world we live in today. Hopefully
he’ll bring up these points in coming days with
students of his that may have received a booklet
today.—Team Vegan member John
Oberg, 3/4/13

Team Vegan’s Lisa Drapkin hands out Even If You Like Meat at Lehman College.

Had
a good day at Kean University
– good thing I was inside because the weather
outside was absolutely awful. I had three people
tell me they were very interested in going veg
and all took Guides; we had good conversations
about finding new foods you like and making
it easier that way. One guy gave me a not-so-nice
remark passing by. I replied in a friendly manner,
and he stopped by again on his way back past,
and we had a short conversation; he left saying
he respects what I’m doing. Also, one girl came
back after reading the leaflet to thank me and
tell me how informative it was.—Team Vegan member Lisa
Drapkin, 3/6/13

Snow
and drizzle, but solid leafleting
– reached over 2,000 students. I did not have
a single negative comment. At West Virginia
University! And I was really enjoying the leafleting,
and I think it showed, and people were smiling
back at me, and saying nice things. While a
number of people mentioned being veg or vegan,
one vegan in particular stood out. She came
up and said in such a sweet and sincere manner
that she was really happy to see me out there.
“It actually made my day,” she said.
Awww. I then met Jill [below], who got a booklet from
us when John Oberg, Joe Gonzales, and I were
on campus a year ago. She’s been veg since.—Team Vegan member Jon
Camp, 3/6/13

Fellow
Team Vegan member Steve,
Cobie, and I reached over 1,600
students at Portland State. Of the three food
carts there, two were totally vegan. They also
have lots of vegan food on campus.
Three memorable
conversations. One with a woman who buys “humane”
animal products; we discussed marketing and
also about making choices which cause the least
suffering (avoiding bird flesh and eggs). The
second was with someone who took a booklet and
then came back to thank me and tell me how meaningful
this was to her. She is vegetarian but her husband
isn’t and she was happy to have the Compassionate
Choices and Guide to show him.
The third was with someone who got a booklet
2 years ago and started off telling me how the
pictures in the booklet affected her kids. She
just wanted to chat with someone who understands.—Team Vegan member Nettie
Schwager, 3/4/13

Off
to Harold Washington College after
work. I was also curious to see if the slightly
warmer temperature and lack of falling snow
increased reception…it did. Heard from four
vegetarians and two vegans, and talked harm
reduction (avoiding consumption of birds and
fishes) with two people.—Team Vegan member Joe
Espinosa, 3/6/13

San
Jacinto College was awesome. Very
receptive students. Saw many reading and discussing
booklets. We met a student that wants to go
vegan after getting a booklet. Also met a vegan
who was happy we were on campus. Overheard one
girl say “I want to go veg” to her
friend.
Some encouraging
feedback from our host Professor Ramiri in Corpus
Christi, after I wrote to thank him for housing
us, he wrote back:
“I’ll have
you know that one of my professor friends in
political science walked into her class this
morning to find several of her students with
your pamphlets in hand. They ended up changing
the day’s lesson plans and talking about animal
rights and activism. So, yeah, I’d say you not
only awakened hearts and minds – but also changed
the teaching plans for today in some classes.”
This happens often
– I’ve heard of classes discussing the booklets
in the past.—Team Vegan member Vic
Sjodin, 3/6/13

Vegan
Outreach is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
dedicated to reducing the suffering of
farmed animals by promoting informed,
ethical eating.